Larry Sanders, Darius Theus join team Ram Nation in this year’s TBT

This April 1st we announced Ram Nation would be forming a team of VCU legends that would compete for $2 million in this year’s “The Basketball Tournament”. Many Ram fans combined the story with the date (April Fools Day) and thought it has a hoax.

Not only was/is that a very true story, but one that just got even more exciting.

Sanders and Theus last hit the court together, albeit on opposing teams in this past October’s VCU Alumni Game.

Former Rams Larry Sanders and Darius Theus have officially joined our team as we are now less than three weeks from locking up our spot in this year’s tournament.

The two last suited up together on a VCU team for the 2009-2010 season, Theus’ freshman year at VCU and Sanders’ junior season, coincidentally his final year as a Ram as he entered the NBA Draft following a CBI Championship run, being selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 15th overall pick in the 2010 draft.

Currently team Ram Nation sits in fourth in South Region voting, needing to finish within the top-12 to officially qualify for the event (or receive one of the regions four at-large bids, meaning chosen by tournament organizers). Ram fans can move us even higher up the rankings by registering with the TBT site as a fan and voting for our team.

Team Ram Nation consists of a number of Ram legends, all of whom played on recent VCU teams and have been active recently on professional teams.

TEAM RAM NATION

Rodriguez, Theus, Rozzell, Burgess and Skeen all played prominent roles on VCU’s Final 4 team, with Theus going on to two more NCAA tournaments following that season, winning a round of 64 game over Wichita State alongside Burgess the following season, then one against Akron during the point guards senior season.

Walker, Pellot-Rosa and Anderson all played key roles alongside Maynor in VCU’s upset of Duke then near-upset of Pittsburgh in the 2007 NCAA tournament, the four all scoring double-digits against the Blue Devils in the win.

Larry Sanders become one of VCU’s most prolific rebounders and shot-blockers while at VCU, helping take the Rams to a 2009 NCAA tournament appearance then becoming VCU’s first-ever early entry player after being drafted following his junior season. On November 30, 2012, Sanders recorded his first triple-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks for the Bucks. He would go on to finish second in the NBA in blocks that season behind league-leader Serge Ibaka. He finished third in voting for the league’s Most Improved Player that season.

VCU School of the Arts (BFA '07) and Center for Sport Leadership (M.Ed. '10) alumnus, Mat has followed VCU basketball since the Sunbelt days when he'd attend games with his father. Worked as a graduate assistant in the VCU Sports Information Department for the '09-'10 season, but has covered VCU basketball for VCURamNation.com since 2007.